Digital device for providing text messaging service and method for controlling the same

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a digital device and a method for controlling the same, which displays an application related to a text message, extracts additional information from the application and inserts the extracted additional information to the text message, in order to provide additional information associated with a text message.

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit ofthe Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0146160, filed on Dec. 14,2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forthherein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a digital device for providing a textmessaging service and a method for controlling the same. And, mostparticularly, the present disclosure relates to a digital device and amethod for controlling the same, which displays an application relatedto a text message, extracts additional information from the applicationand inserts the extracted additional information to the text message, inorder to provide additional information associated with a text message.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

With the evolution in mobile telephony devices (i.e., mobile phones) andwith the introduction of diverse types of portable devices,communication between users by using text messages is increasing at avast rate.

Most particularly, in addition to mobile phones, by having a wider rangeof other types of digital devices provide text messaging services aswell, the user is now capable of more easily transceiving (i.e.,transmitting and receiving) text message by using a variety of methods.

Moreover, by using Multimedia Message Service (MMS), Instant Messaging(IM), and so on, digital devices may provide the users with anenvironment enabling the users to transmit and receive diverse forms ofdata, such as still images, music, moving pictures, and so on, inaddition to text messages.

However, despite the convenience that diverse form of data can betransmitted and received, the user may only be capable of transmittingand receiving manually designated or predetermined forms of data,thereby causing inconvenience to the user.

Additionally, with respect to already received text messages, if theuser wishes to receive (or acquire) additional information on thecorresponding text message, the user is required to undergo theinconvenience of having to search the wanted additional information byusing a separate search means in order to gain the additionalinformation he (or she) wishes.

Furthermore, even if the user searches the wanted additional informationon the received message by using a separate search means in order togain additional information on the corresponding message, a wide rangeof related additional information is found without taking intoconsideration the relation between the transmitter and the receiver.Accordingly, the user is required to undergo the inconvenience ofsearching for the wanted additional information within the list ofsearched result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a digital device forproviding a text messaging service and a method for controlling the samethat substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a digital device forproviding a text messaging service and a method for controlling the samethat can acquire additional information related to a text message withina text messaging interface.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a text messaginginterface that can automatically supply (or add) additional informationrelated to a text message.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a textmessaging interface that can insert and store additional information,even for already received text messages in addition to text messagesthat are currently being written by the user.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a textmessaging interface that can insert additional information according tothe user's intentions based on the relation between the transmitter andthe receiver of the respective text message.

A further object of the present disclosure is to provide text messaginginterface that can vary the additional information to be inserted in thetext message according to the respective transmitting device andreceiving device, even if the additional information is extracted fromthe same type of application.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the disclosure will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of thedisclosure. The objectives and other advantages of the disclosure may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, adigital device providing a text messaging service includes a displayunit configured to display a text messaging interface, a sensor unitconfigured to sense a user input inputted to the digital device anddelivering an input signal according to a sensed result to a processor,a communication unit configured to transmit and receive text messages toand from an external device, and the processor configured to control thedisplay unit, the sensor unit, and the communication unit. Herein, theprocessor may designate at least one word included in the text messageas a text block, wherein the text message is displayed through the textmessaging interface, may extract at least one application providingadditional information associated with the text block, may display anapplication interface including at least one icon representing the atleast one application, may detect a first input signal to the at leastone icon in the application interface, and may insert additionalinformation to the text message, wherein the additional information isprovided by an application corresponding to an icon from which the firstinput signal is detected.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a digital deviceproviding a text messaging service includes a display unit configured todisplay a text messaging interface, a sensor unit configured to sense auser input inputted to the digital device and delivering an input signalaccording to a sensed result to a processor, a communication unitconfigured to transmit and receive data to and from an external device,and the processor configured to control the display unit, the sensorunit, and the communication unit. Herein, the processor may receive amessage file including a text message and metadata related to the textmessage from the external device, wherein the metadata may include linkinformation for providing additional information associated with atleast one word included in the text message, may designate the at leastone word as a text block, wherein the at least one word is related tothe link information, may display the text message through the textmessaging interface, and may add a graphic effect to the text block.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method forcontrolling a digital device providing a text messaging service includesthe steps of displaying a text message through a text messaginginterface, designating at least one word included in the text message asa text block, wherein the text message may be displayed through the textmessaging interface, extracting at least one application providingadditional information associated with the text block, displaying anapplication interface including at least one icon representing the atleast one application, detecting a first input signal to the at leastone icon in the application interface, and inserting additionalinformation to the text message, wherein the additional information maybe provided by an application corresponding to an icon from which thefirst input signal is detected.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method forcontrolling a digital device providing a text messaging service mayinclude the steps of receiving a message file including a text messageand metadata related to the text message from an external device,wherein the metadata may include link information for providingadditional information associated with at least one word included in thetext message, designating the at least one word as a text block, whereinthe at least one word is related to the link information, and displayingthe text message through the text messaging interface, wherein, in thestep of displaying the text message, a graphic effect may be added tothe text block.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present disclosure areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the disclosure andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of thedisclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block view showing the structure of a systemproviding a text messaging system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary text messaging interface according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary text message having a designated textblock according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary text message having additionalinformation inserted therein according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary application interface being displayed ina text messaging interface according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary application interface beingdisplayed in a text messaging interface according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of displaying preview information onadditional information associated with a text block according to theembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary additional information interface settingup a format of the additional information according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of displaying additional information basedupon the additional information format, which is set up is FIG. 8,according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates another example of displaying additional informationbased upon the additional information format, which is set up is FIG. 8,according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of another set of additional informationbeing inserted in a transmitting digital device and a receiving digitaldevice with respect to the same link information according to theembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of extracting an application, whichprovides additional information with respect to a text block inaccordance with a corresponding priority level, according to theembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary text messaging interface of a case whenan application, which provides additional information with respect to atext block, is not extracted;

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow chart showing the process steps of a methodfor controlling a digital device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 15 illustrates a flow chart showing the process steps of a methodfor controlling a digital device according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the terms used in the present disclosure are selected fromgenerally known and used terms, the terms used herein may be varied ormodified in accordance with the intentions or practice of anyone skilledin the art, or along with the advent of a new technology. Alternatively,in some particular cases, some of the terms mentioned in the descriptionof the present disclosure may be selected by the applicant at his or herdiscretion, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevantparts of the description herein. Furthermore, it is required that thepresent disclosure is understood not simply by the actual terms used butby the meaning of each term lying within.

Additionally, reference will now be made in detail to the preferredembodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustratedin the accompanying drawings. However, the description of the presentdisclosure will not be limited only to the exemplary embodimentspresented herein.

The digital device according to the embodiment of the present disclosurecorresponds to a device that can provide text messaging services.Herein, a digital device may include all types of devices that cantransmit and receive text messages. For example, the digital device mayinclude mobile phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs), smart TVs, and so on.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block view showing the structure of a systemproviding a text messaging system according to the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, a system providing a text messaging service mayinclude a transmitting digital device 100 (hereinafter referred to as a‘transmitting device’) and a receiving digital device 200 (hereinafterreferred to as a ‘receiving device’).

Additionally, the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200may transmit and receive (or transceive) a text message through anetwork 10. Herein, the network 10 may include diverse types (or forms)of wired or wireless networks enabling communication to be establishedbetween the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200.

At this point, the available wireless networks may include Near FieldCommunication (NFC), Zigbee, infrared communication, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,and so on, and the available wireless network will not be limited onlyto a specific form of network. Moreover, all other telecommunicationnetworks, such as a general telephone network (PSTN), a wirelesstelephony internet network, and so on.

The transmitting device 100 may include a hardware layer, an operatingsystem (OS) layer, and an application layer.

First of all, the hardware layer of the transmitting device 100 mayinclude a processor 110, a display unit 120, a sensor unit 130, acommunication unit 140, and a storage unit 150.

The display unit 120 outputs image data to a display screen. The displayunit 120 may output an image based upon a set of contents being executedby the processor 110 or based upon a control command of the processor110. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayunit 120 may display a text messaging interface, which is executed bythe transmitting device 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary text messaging interface according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure. A text messaging interface mayprovide a user using a digital device with an environment allowing theuser to use a text messaging service with an external device, i.e.,another digital device. The text messaging service may include both freeservices and paid services. Additionally, the text messaging serviceincludes both services using a mobile communication network and servicesusing an internet network. More specifically, the form of the textmessaging service will not be limited. And, therefore, the textmessaging service may include all forms of services that can provide theuser with an environment for transmitting and receiving text messages.

As shown in FIG. 2, the text messaging interface may provide atransmission and reception history list of the text messages beingtransmitted and received between the user and another user. Morespecifically, the text messaging interface may display a transmissionand reception history of text messages between the digital device and anexternal device (e.g., contents and time of the text messages that aretransmitted and received).

Additionally, the text messaging interface may display an input means,i.e., a keypad and an input window configured to display a text that isinputted by using the keypad, which enables the user to write (orcompose) a text message.

Accordingly, in order to allow the user to transmit and receive textmessages, the text messaging interface may include a means configured toenable the user to compose (or write) a message and a means configuredto display a received message, so that the user can transmit and receivemessages. However, the means included in the present disclosure will notbe limited only to the specific examples shown in FIG. 2. And,therefore, the corresponding means may be provided in diverse forms.

The sensor unit 130 may detect the surrounding environment of thetransmitting device 100 by using at least one or more sensors mounted onthe transmitting device 100. And, then, the sensor unit 130 may deliverthe detected information to the processor 110 in the form of signals,Additionally, the sensor unit 130 may sense the user's input and maydeliver the input signal according to the sensed result to the processor110.

The user input may be inputted in diverse forms, such as a touch motionperformed on the display (or display screen), a hovering motion over thedisplay (or display screen), and so on. Moreover, the user input mayalso be inputted by using a button provided on the transmitting device100, or by using an external device, such as a remote controller, whichcan transmit signals to the transmitting device 100. In other words, aslong as the transmitting device 100 is capable of sensing the user'sinput, the form of the user input will not be limited to only a specificform of user input.

Accordingly, the sensing unit 130 may include at least one sensingmeans. According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the atleast one sensing means may correspond to any one of diverse sensingmeans, such as a gravity sensor, a geomagnetic (or terrestrialmagnetism) sensor, a motion sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an accelerationsensor, an infrared sensor, an inclination sensor, a brightness sensor,an altitude sensor, an odor sensor, a temperature sensor (or thermalsensor), a depth sensor, a pressure sensor, a banding sensor, an audiosensor, a video sensor, a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, atouch sensor, and so on.

The sensing unit 130 collectively refers to all of the above-mentionedsensing means. Herein, the sensing unit 130 may sense diverse inputsinputted by the user and the environment of the transmitting device 100,and the sensing unit 130 may also deliver the sensed results to theprocessor 110, so that the processor 110 can perform the respectiveoperations. The above-mentioned sensing means may be included in thetransmitting device 100 as separate individual elements, or at least oneor more of the above-mentioned sensing means may be combined andincluded in the transmitting device 100 as at least one or moreelements.

Additionally, in case the above-described display unit 120 includes atouch sensitive display, a user input, such as a touch input, may besensed by using the display unit 120.

Accordingly, the processor 110 may generate a control signal by using aninput signal according to the user's input, which is inputted throughthe sensor unit 130 or the display unit 120, and, then, the processor110 may use the generated control signal so as to control thetransmitting device 100.

In other words, the processor 110 may receive the user input as an inputsignal through the sensor unit 130 or the display unit 120. And, then,processor 110 may use the received input signal so as to generate thecontrol signal. Moreover, the processor 110 may control the transmittingdevice 100 and a configuration unit (or element) included in thetransmitting device 100 in accordance with the generated control signal.

Hereinafter, when each process step or operation of the digital deviceis initiated or performed in accordance with the user's input, it willbe apparent that a process of repeating the procedure of generating aninput signal and a control signal in accordance with the user input isincluded in the corresponding process step. And, therefore, detaileddescription of the same will omitted, instead of being repeatedlyprovided, for simplicity.

Additionally, it may be expressed and described that the processorcontrols the digital device or an element included in the digital devicein accordance with the user's input. And, the processor and the digitaldevice may be considered and described to be identical to one another ormay be considered and described as identical parts included in thepresent disclosure.

The communication unit 140 may perform communication with the receivingdevice 200 by using diverse protocols, so as to transmit and receivemessages. At this point, a plurality of the receiving devices 200 may beincluded in the system, and each of the receiving devices 200 may varyin accordance with the corresponding text message.

The storage unit 150 may store diverse digital data, such as video data,audio data, images, documents, applications, and so on. The storage unit150 represents diverse forms of digital data storage spaces, such as aflash memory, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Solid State Drive (SSD),and so on. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, thestorage unit 150 may store text messages composed by the transmittingdevice 100 and text messages stored in at least one receiving device 200along with metadata. The metadata will be described later on in moredetail.

Finally, the processor 110 may execute diverse applications stored inthe storage unit 150, and the processor 110 may process the dataexisting within the transmitting device 100. According to the embodimentof the present disclosure, the processor 110 may operate the textmessaging interface, and the processor 110 may also control each unitincluded in the above-described transmitting device 100, so as tocontrol the data transmission and reception between the correspondingunits.

The processor 110 may control the overall operations of the transmission100. Accordingly, as described above, it will hereinafter be describedin more detail that the operations performed by the processor areperformed by the digital device.

Meanwhile, an operating system (OS) layer of the transmitting device 100may include an operating system (OS) controlling each unit included inthe transmitting device 100. Herein, the operating system (OS) allows anapplication of the transmitting device 100 to control and use each unitincluded in a hardware layer. The system management efficientlydistributes a resource of the transmitting device 100, so as to preparean environment for executing each application.

Additionally, an application layer of the transmitting device 100 mayinclude at least one application. An application includes diverse formsof programs enabling a specific operation to be performed. Moreover, anapplication may provide additional information on a text block includedin the text message. Accordingly, with the help (or use) of theoperating system (OS), the application may use the resource of thehardware layer.

Meanwhile, the receiving device 200 may include a hardware layer, anoperating system (OS) layer, and an application layer. Additionally, thehardware layer of the receiving device 200 may include a processor 210,a display unit 220, a sensor unit 230, a communication unit 240, and astorage unit 250.

In case of transmitting a text message, the digital device becomes thetransmitting device 100. And, in case of receiving a text message, thedigital device becomes the receiving device 200. Accordingly, theelements configuring the transmitting device 100 and the respectivefunctions are identical to the elements configuring the receiving device200 and the respective functions. Therefore, detailed description of theunits included in the layer of the receiving device 200 and the hardwarelayer will be omitted for simplicity.

Additionally, for simplicity in the description of the presentdisclosure, although the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosuredescribes a specific case when the digital device corresponds to thetransmitting device, the same description of the present disclosure maybe equally applied to the receiving device.

First of all, the digital device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure seeks to provide additional information on at leastone word being designated in the form of a text block. Accordingly, thedigital device may designate at least one word included in the textmessage, which is being displayed through the text messaging interface,in the form of a text block.

At this point, the text block may be designated by the digital device inaccordance with the user input. Alternatively, the text block may alsobe designated by having the digital device extract a keyword regardlessof the user input. Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the digitaldevice designating a text block in accordance the user input will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 3. Furthermore, an exemplaryembodiment of the digital device designating a text block by extractinga keyword will be described in detail later on with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary text message having a designated textblock according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 3, among the text message being displayed on the text messaginginterface 300, the digital device may receive a user input related to atleast one word 310, to which the user wishes to insert additionalinformation, from the user.

When the above-described sensor unit senses the user input, and when thesensor unit delivers an input signal according to the sensed result tothe processor, the processor may determine whether or not the inputsignal has selected the corresponding word in order to designate a textblock.

For example, the processor of the digital device may determine whetheror not a position from which the input signal has been sensed (ordetected) corresponds to a section of the display in which the textmessage is being displayed. Based upon the determined result, when thesensed position corresponds to the section of the display in which thetext message is being displayed, the display device may designate atleast one word being displayed in the position, from which the inputsignal has been sensed (or detected), in the form of a text block, andthe display device may then apply a graphic effect on the designatedtext block.

The digital device may box the at least one corresponding word, so thatthe at least one corresponding word can be included in the text block.Alternatively, the digital device may apply diverse forms of graphiceffects, such as underlines, highlights, and so on, on the at least onecorresponding word, so that the at least one corresponding word can bedifferentiated from the other words included in the text message.

At this point, the user selects a word, which the user seeks todesignate in the form of a text block, through a displayed graphicimage. Substantially, however, the at least one word that is viewed bythe user is merely an image. Accordingly, when the digital devicedetects an input signal as a signal designating a text block, thedigital device may capture the graphic image displayed on the section ofthe display corresponding to the input signal in a text form.

More specifically, among the graphic images being displayed on the textmessaging interface, the digital device may detect a section of thegraphic image, which is selected according to the user's input. Then,after capturing the detected section, the digital device may recognizethe at least one word, which is included in the detected section, as atext string.

Alternatively, the digital device may directly recognize the text data,which are included in the displayed graphic image, without having toperform the capturing process. For example, if a program of the textmessaging interface is made by Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), theprocessor of the digital device displays the graphic image includingtext according to text coordinates of code of the program. And, when auser input which is corresponding to the text coordinates is detectedfor the graphic image, the processor may directly recognize the textincluded in the graphic image by using the code of the program made byHTML.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary text message having additionalinformation inserted therein according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Herein, FIG. 4 corresponds to an example of the digitaldevice designating a text block in accordance with a user input.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, the digital device 400 may designate at leastone word, which is included in a text message being displayed inaccordance with the user input, in the form of a text block 410.

When the text block is designated, the digital device 400 may extract atleast one application providing additional information on the designatedtext block 410. The additional information uses the at least one wordincluded in the text block 410, so as to include information related tothe result of executing a respective application. The additionalinformation will hereinafter be described in more detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

Additionally, the digital device 400 may use the application, which isstored in the storage unit, and the information related to thecorresponding application, so as to extract an application that can beexecuted by using at least one word included in the text block. Morespecifically, the display device 400 may extract an application, whichcan use the at least one word being included in the text block as inputdata for executing the application.

For example, the digital device 400 may extract an application forperforming map search, web search, contact search, and so on.Additionally, the digital device 400 may also retrieve contentsincluding at least one of a still image and a moving image by using theat least one word of the text block. Then, the digital device 400 mayextract an application that can display the retrieved result.

Furthermore, the display device 400 may pre-set at least one applicationin advance. Then, among at least one of the pre-set applications, thedisplay device 400 may extract an application, which can obtainadditional information by using the at least one word being included inthe text block.

When the digital device 400 extracts an application, which can provideadditional information on the at least one word being included in thetext block 410, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, the digital device 400 maydisplay an application interface 420.

The application interface 420 corresponds to an interface including atleast one icon 421 and 423 representing the extracted application.Herein, the application interface 420 may receive a user input thatselects a specific icon from the at least one icon being included in theapplication interface 420. The at least one icon 421 and 431 beingincluded in the application interface 420 may each correspond to agraphic image including at least one of characters, signs, and images.

Additionally, when the digital device 400 detects an input signal for aspecific icon 421 included in the application interface 410, the inputsignal being generated by the user, the digital device 400 may executean application corresponding to the specific icon 421, from which theinput signal is detected. Moreover, as shown in (c) of FIG. 4, dependingupon the execution of the application, the digital device 400 may insertadditional information, which is provided by the application, to thetext message.

However, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user select the specific icon 421,which is included in the application interface 420, although the digitaldevice 400 may execute the application corresponding to the selectedspecific icon 421, the display screen is not switched (or changed) to anexecution screen of the respective application.

More specifically, the digital device 400 executes the correspondingapplication via multi-tasking along with the text messaging interface.And, accordingly, the corresponding application is internally executed.Therefore, the user is incapable of recognizing the execution of theapplication, and the user is only capable of recognizing that theadditional information that is inserted with respect to the text blockis being provided by the corresponding application.

Meanwhile, the icons being included in the application interface 420according to the embodiment of the present disclosure each correspondsto an icon configured to indicate the type of application providing theadditional information. Accordingly, each of the icons being included inthe application interface 420 has an additional function.

For example, the icons being included in the application interface 420may each represent an application, a document, a specific function, andso on. Additionally, when the user selects the corresponding icon, theselected icon may be hyperlinked with an application, a document, acontent, and so on, so that the digital device can directly andimmediately execute the application, the document, the content, and soon, which is represented by the selected icon. However, the digitaldevice may not change its display screen to the execution screen of thecorresponding application. More specifically, the icon being included inthe application interface 420 may have a function of enabling thedigital device to simultaneously execute the application correspondingto the selected icon along with the text messaging interface viamulti-tasking, yet executing the corresponding application internallyonly.

In other words, when the user selects a specific icon being included inthe application interface, the digital device does not change thedisplay screen to an execution screen of an application corresponding tothe specific icon, and the digital device may insert only the additionalinformation associated with the text block according to the execution ofthe application.

Meanwhile, the digital device may display the application interface indiverse forms. This will hereinafter be described in more detail withreference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary application interface being displayed ina text messaging interface according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Herein, the digital device 500 may display the applicationinterface 520 and 540 in the surrounding area of the text message.

More specifically, as shown in (a) of FIG. 5, when a text block 511 isincluded in a text message, which is currently being written (orcomposed), the digital device 500 may display the application interface520 on an upper portion of the message input window 510.

At this point, when an excessive number of icons are included in theapplication interface 520, the digital device 500 may provide a TurnPage menu 521, which is included in the application interface 520. Theuser may view the remaining icons by using the Turn Page menu 521 so asto turn the pages that are displayed on the application interface 520,wherein the pages show all of the icons that are included in theapplication interface 520.

Additionally, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, when a text block 531 isincluded in a text message, which is currently being written (orcomposed), digital device 500 may display the application interface 540on a lower portion of the message input window 530. Also, as shown in(a) of FIG. 5, digital device 500 may provide a Turn Page menu 541,which is included in the application interface 540.

As described above, by displaying the application interface on thesurrounding area of a message including a text block, the digital devicemay allow the user to more quickly and more conveniently selecting anicon for acquiring additional information.

Additionally, although the example shown in FIG. 5 describes a case whena text block is included in a message that is currently being written(or composed), a text block may be designated with respect to analready-transmitted message and an already-received, so that at leastone word can be included in the designated text block. And, therespective additional information may also be inserted in thecorresponding text message.

However, since a portion of the text messaging interface may be coveredby the application interface, the digital device 500 may move (orrelocate) the application interface 520 and 540 in accordance with theuser input.

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary application interface beingdisplayed in a text messaging interface according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Herein, the digital device 600 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may display the text messaginginterface overlaid with the application interface 640 in a layer format.

Prior to describing the application interface 640, an example of havingthe digital device 600 designate a text block will hereinafter bedescribed in detail.

In addition to the method described with reference to FIG. 3, thedigital device 600 may extract at least one keyword from a text message,even if there is no user input. For example, the digital device 600 mayextract a keyword based upon a noun or a pronoun. However, in thedigital device 600 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the method for extracting the keyword will not be limitedonly to a specific method, and, therefore, a wider range of methods forextracting the keyword may be used.

Additionally, the digital device 600 may designate at least one of theextracted keywords in the form of text blocks 610, 620, and 630. And,the digital device 600 may add graphic effects on the designated textblocks 610, 620, and 630. The graphic effect has already been describedin detail with reference to FIG. 3. And, therefore, the detaileddescription of the same will be omitted for simplicity.

Furthermore, the digital device 600 may extract at least one applicationthat provides additional information on a text block, and the digitaldevice 600 may then display the application interface 640 including atleast one icon representing the extracted application.

Referring to (a) of FIG. 6, when a plurality of text blocks 610, 620,and 630 exists, the digital device 600 may extract an application thatcan provide additional information on each of the text blocks 610, 620,and 630.

For example, since a first text block 610 includes a word related withthe date, the digital device 600 may extract a Weather applicationproviding additional information on the weather on the correspondingdate and may also extract a Calendar application adding a new scheduleon the corresponding date.

Additionally, since a second text block 620 corresponds to a wordrelated to a specific place, the digital device 600 may extract a Mapapplication providing additional information on the travel path forgetting to the corresponding place. Furthermore, since a third textblock 630 corresponds to a word related to a user's name and contactnumber, the digital device 600 may extract a Contact applicationproviding additional information on a contact number (i.e., phonenumber) corresponding to a user's name.

As described above, in order to extract an application that is relatedto a specific word, the digital device 600 may pre-store an applicationrelated to the corresponding word in advance in the storage unit. Morespecifically, the digital device 600 may categorize each of the wordsand may pre-set an application that matches with each of thecorresponding words.

Then, the digital device 600 may display the application interface 640,which includes at least one icon representing the extracted application.Accordingly, the digital device 600 may display an icon 641corresponding to the Weather application, an icon 642 corresponding tothe Calendar application, an icon 643 corresponding to the Mapapplication, and an icon 644 corresponding to a Contact application onthe application interface 640.

Additionally, the digital device 600 may provide a recapitulated versionof additional information below each application icon. As describedabove, by simultaneously providing the recapitulated version ofadditional information below each application icon to the applicationinterface, the user may be capable of easily verifying whether or notthe additional information that is to be inserted in correct.

Moreover, the application interface 640 shown in (a) of FIG. 6corresponds to a semi-transparent layer overlaying the text messaginginterface. Most particularly, by having the application interface 640overlaying the remaining area of the text messaging interface excludingthe text messaging area, e.g., a keypad area, the user may continue toview the contents of the text message without being interrupted.

Nevertheless, in some cases, the application interface 640 may interruptthe user's eyesight. Accordingly, the application interface 640 mayprovide a Reduce menu 645. Therefore, when a user input is detected withrespect to the Reduce menu 645, the digital device 600 may hide theapplication interface 640.

The hidden application interface 650 may be displayed as shown in (b) ofFIG. 6. The hidden application interface 650 may simply indicate onlythe icons being included in the application interface 650 and mayprovide an Enlarge menu 651. Accordingly, when the digital device 600detects an input signal of the user with respect to the Enlarge menu651, the digital device 600 may display the hidden application interface650 as the application interface 640 shown in (a) of FIG. 6.

Herein, however, the number of displayable application interfaces 640and 650 may be limited. Accordingly, the digital device may extract apredetermined number of applications corresponding to a predeterminedpriority level. The predetermined number of application interfaces maycorrespond to a number of icons that can be displayed on the applicationinterface.

The priority level may be decided by using at least one of transmissioninformation and reception information related to the text message,history information of the transmitted and received text messages,Social Network Service (SNS) usage information associated with thetransmission information and reception information. Additionally, thepriority level may also be decided based upon user settings. Therefore,the digital device may provide the user with an interface for setting upthe priority level.

For example, a plurality of applications may provide additionalinformation on a specific word. At this point, the digital device maydetermine which application has provided the most amount additionalinformation with respect to the same word, based upon the text messagehistory, thereby being capable of extracting the correspondingapplication based upon the predetermined priority level.

Meanwhile, FIG. 7 illustrates an example of displaying previewinformation on additional information associated with a text blockaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As described above, the digital device 700 may extract an applicationthat provides additional information with respect to a text block 710.Additionally, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the digital device 700 maydisplay an application interface 720 including at least one iconrepresenting the extracted application.

The digital device 700 may detect an input signal to a specific icon,which is included in the application interface 720. When the userselects an icon 721 representing an application, from which he (or she)wishes to acquire additional information, from the application interface720, the sensor unit senses such selection and may deliver the senseduser selection to the processor in the form of an input signal. If theprocessor receives the input signal, the processor detects the receivedinput signal as an input signal to the icon 721, extracts additionalinformation by executing the application corresponding to the icon 721.

At this point, the user may verify whether or not the extractedadditional information corresponds to the additional information he (orshe) wished for. Then, only when the extracted additional informationmatches the wanted information, the user may wish to insert theextracted additional information to the text message. Accordingly, whenthe digital device 700 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure detects an input signal respective to the specific icon 721,the digital device 700 may display preview information 730 of theadditional information, which is provided to the user by the applicationcorresponding to the icon 721 having its respective input signaldetected by the digital device 700, as shown in (b) of FIG. 7.

Therefore, the user may refer to the preview information 730, so as toverify whether or not the additional information corresponding to thepreview information 730 is the correct additional information he (orshe) had intended. If the corresponding additional information is notwhat was intended by the user, the user may select another icon 723 from(a) of FIG. 7. Alternatively, if the corresponding additionalinformation is in fact what was intended by the user, the user mayselect the corresponding preview information 730. When the digitaldevice 700 detects an input signal respective to the preview information730, the digital device 700 may insert the additional informationcorresponding to the preview information 730 to the text message.

At this point, as shown in (c) of FIG. 7, the digital device 700 mayreplace the text block 710 with the inserted additional information 740.More specifically, the digital device 700 may insert the additionalinformation 740 in a position designated by the text block 710 withinthe text message, and then the digital device 700 may delete the textblock 710.

As described above, the digital device enables the user to insertadditional information on a message that is currently being written (orcomposed) or on a message that has already been transmitted and/orreceived. More specifically, by providing the user with a text messaginginterface allowing the user to edit the text message and add additionalmemos to the text message, the digital device may enhance userconvenience.

Meanwhile, the digital device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may designate a text block in a text message that iscurrently being written, and the digital device may insert additionalinformation on the text block. However, when transmitting thecorresponding text message to an external device, instead oftransmitting the entire text message having the additional informationinserted therein, it may be more efficient to transmit only the textmessage prior to having the additional information inserted therein andlink information on the additional information. Accordingly, since thesize of the transmitted text message can be reduced, the efficiency inusing resource or time may be more enhanced.

Therefore, when transmitting a text message, the digital device maytransmit a message file format, which includes the text message andmetadata on the text message, to an external device.

Herein, metadata may include at least one of at least one word beingincluded in the text block, application information providing additionalinformation on the text block, additional information being provided bythe corresponding application, and link information on the additionalinformation. Herein, for example, the link information on the additionalinformation may correspond to at least one of information on the type ofapplication providing the additional information, execution informationof the application, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information fromwhich the application can be downloaded.

Therefore, when required by the user of the receiving device, thedigital device may allow the additional information to be displayed ormay allow the additional information to be inserted in the text messagethrough the application, which is executed by the receiving device.Accordingly, as compared to the case when the digital device inserts theadditional information itself to the text message and transmits theprocessed text message, it will be advantageous in that, instead ofpre-decided additional information, the most recent (or updated)additional information may be provided to the user of the receivingdevice at the moment he (or she) wishes to view the additionalinformation.

Therefore, in order to transmit the text message the digital device mayconnect the text block with the link information on the additionalinformation, so as to set up a hyperlink on the text block. Accordingly,when the user of the receiving device selects the text block, theapplication that is connected to the text block via hyperlink may beexecuted. At this point, the application may be executed by using theexecution state of using the at least one word, which is included in thetext block, as the initial display screen.

Additionally, when an application being connected via hyperlink is notinstalled in the receiving device, the receiving device may execute aweb page for installing the corresponding application or may execute anapplication for installing the corresponding application.

Furthermore, when the digital device transmits a text message includinga text block for providing additional information to the externaldevice, the digital device may set up the format of the additionalinformation that is to be inserted. This will hereinafter be describedin more detail with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary additional information interface settingup a format of the additional information according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 8, when the digital device 800 detects an inputsignal to the text block 810, the digital device 800 may display anapplication interface 820. The application interface 820 may includeicons 821, 823, and 825 each corresponding to the application that canprovide additional information on the text block 810.

At this point, it will be assumed that the user selects an icon 821corresponding to an internet browser, in order to provide the websearched result as the additional information. Accordingly, as shown in(b) of FIG. 8, the digital device may insert the searched result to thetext block 810 in the text message as the additional information. Theadditional information shown in (b) of FIG. 8 includes information on aposter of a concert, the opening schedule of the concert, the place ofthe concert, the stars starring in the concert, and so on, as thesearched result associated with the text block 810 searched through thecorresponding internet browser.

Herein, however, among the searched result, the user may wish totransmit only the concert poster as the additional information, or theuser may wish to transmit only the information on the place where theconcert is opening as the additional information, or the user may wishto transmit only the overall guidance information on the concert as theadditional information.

Therefore, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8, when the digital device accordingto the present disclosure detects an input signal to a Send menu 840transmitting the text message to the external device, the digital devicemay display an additional information interface 850, as shown in (c) ofFIG. 8.

The additional information interface 850 may provide an environmentallowing the user to select the format in which the additionalinformation is to be inserted in the text message and transmitted.Additionally, among the result of executing the application by using theat least one word, which is included in the text block, the additionalinformation interface 850 may provide the user with an environmentenabling the execution result of the executed application, so that theuser can insert only the wanted information as the additionalinformation.

Accordingly, among the result of executing the application by using theat least one word, which is included in the text block 810, theadditional information interface 850 may include a menu 855 forextracting only an image and inserting the extracted image in the textmessage, a menu 853 for inserting link information of the application inthe text message, and a menu 851 for inserting an overall screen ofexecuting the application in the text message in an image file format.This will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9and FIG. 10.

As described above, among the information according to the executedresult of the application through the additional information interface850, the digital device 800 may provide the user with an environment forextracting only a specific information and inserting the extractedinformation as the additional information and an environment enablingthe user to select a format in which the additional information istransmitted.

Additionally, FIG. 8 illustrates an example of providing an additionalinformation interface, when the digital device seeks to send (ortransmit) a text message. Conversely, the digital device may provide anadditional information interface after inserting the additionalinformation or before inserting the additional information. Herein,however, the time point at which the additional information interface isprovided will not be limited only to a specific time point.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of displaying additional information basedupon the additional information format, which is set up is FIG. 8,according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

(a) of FIG. 9 shows an example of a case when, among the executed resultof the corresponding application, the user has selected the menu 855 forextracting only an image and inserting the extracted image in the textmessage by using the additional information interface 850 of FIG. 8

Accordingly, the digital device 900 may display the fact that a textblock 910 and additional information on the text block 910 exist asimages, in the form of an icon 920.

Additionally, the digital device 900 may insert the additionalinformation 930 itself to the text block 910 in the form of an image,and then the digital device 900 may display the image as shown in (b) ofFIG. 9.

As described above, the digital device 900 may directly insertedadditional information 930 to the text message, as shown in (b) of FIG.9. Alternatively, the digital device 900 may insert only a minimumamount of information indicating the fact that the additionalinformation exists and notifying the format of the additionalinformation to the text message, as shown in (a) of FIG. 9. As shown in(a) of FIG. 9, when the digital device 900 senses a user input to theicon 920 indicating the format of the additional information, theadditional information 930 may be displayed as shown in (b) of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 illustrates another example of displaying additional informationbased upon the additional information format, which is set up is FIG. 8,according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

(a) of FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary case when the user has selectedthe menu 853 for inserting link information of the application in thetext message through the additional information interface 850 shown inFIG. 8.

Accordingly, the digital device 1000 may display a text block 1010 andan icon 1020, which indicates that additional information on the textblock 1010 exists as link information, on the text message.

Additionally, as shown in (b) of FIG. 10, the display device 1000 mayinsert the additional information itself to the text message. At thispoint, the additional information that is being inserted may be linkedwith an execution result of an actual application. Therefore, when theuser selects the additional information 1030, the digital device 1000may immediately display the execution result of the correspondingapplication, or may allow the execution result to be inserted in thetext message.

Meanwhile, metadata, which are transmitted to an external device alongwith the text message, may include at least one of information on thelocation (or location information) of the digital device and informationon the authority (or authority information) to track the location of thedigital device. This will hereinafter be described in detail withreference to FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of another set of additional informationbeing inserted in a transmitting digital device and a receiving digitaldevice with respect to the same link information according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 11, the transmitting device 1110 may designate atext block 1111 within respect to a text message that is to betransmitted. The procedure performed by the transmitting device 1110 forinserting additional information is identical to the procedure that isdescribed above with reference to FIG. 4. However, as described abovewith reference to (a) of FIG. 9 and (a) of FIG. 10, the transmittingdevice 1110 may display an icon indicating that additional informationassociated with the text block exists in the text message, e.g., an icon1113 representing an application that provides the additionalinformation may be displayed along with the text message. And, when theuser selects the displayed icon 1113, the corresponding additionalinformation may be displayed.

Herein, however, the text message being provided through the textmessaging interface of the transmitting device 1110 is differentiatedfrom a text message being transmitting by the transmitting device 1110to a receiving device 1120. More specifically, the transmitting device1110 may collectively transmit a text message prior to having theadditional information inserted thereto and metadata related to the textmessage to a receiving device 1120 in the form of a message file.

The metadata may include at least one of at least one word beingincluded in the text block, application information providing additionalinformation on the text block, additional information being provided bythe corresponding application, and link information on the additionalinformation.

The receiving device 1120 may receive a message file including the textmessage and the metadata related to the text message from thetransmitting device 1110. According to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a case when the received metadata include applicationinformation, which provides additional information associated with atleast one word 1111 being included in the text message, and linkinformation for a result of executing the application by using the atleast one word will hereinafter be described in detail.

First of all, the receiving device 1120 may designate at least one wordincluded in the text message and being related to the link informationin the form of a text block 1121. As described above with reference toFIG. 3, the receiving device 1120 may apply graphic effects to thedesignated text block.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 11, the receiving device 1120 may display anapplication interface including an icon 1123, which indicates anapplication providing additional information.

At this point, however, the icon 1113 being displayed on the textmessaging interface of the transmitting device 1110 and the icon 1123being displayed on the text messaging interface of the receiving device1120 may not represent the same application. This is because the type ofapplication being installed in each of the transmitting device 1110 andthe receiving device 1120 may be different from one another. Forexample, even if the application can perform web search, the searchengine or basic provider may be differently set up depending upon thedevice.

Therefore, although the application types can be similar to one another,the application providing the additional information from thetransmitting device 1110 may be different from the application providingthe additional information from the receiving device 1120.

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure of themetadata, which are transmitted to an external device along with thetext message, may include at least one of information on the location(or location information) of the digital device and information on theauthority (or authority information) to track the location of thedigital device, will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 11.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 11, the transmitting device 1110 may transmit atext message, which informs the transmitting device 1110 (or the user ofthe transmitting device 1110) to come “Here”. Then, among the pluralityof words included in the text message, the transmitting device 1110 maydesignate the word “Here” in the form of a text block 1111. Thereafter,in order to provide the additional information associated with the textblock 1111, the transmitting device 1110 extracts a Map application,which displays the location (or position) of the transmitting device1110 on a map.

Additionally, the transmitting device 1110 may transmit (or send) themetadata, which includes information on the authority (or authorityinformation) to track the location of the transmitting device 1110, tothe receiving device 1120 along with the text message.

At this point, the Map application of the transmitting device 1110 mayprovide a map, which indicates the location from which the text file wastransmitted to the receiving device 1120 from the transmitting device1110, as the additional information.

Meanwhile, after receiving the text file, the receiving device 1120 maydisplay the text message and may use the metadata to designate the textblock 1121. Also, by adding a graphic effect on the designated block1121, the receiving device 1120 may indicate that the text block 1121includes additional information.

Furthermore, when the receiving device 1120 detects an input signal ofthe user to the text block, the receiving device 1120 may extract anapplication according to the link information by using the linkinformation, which is included in the metadata. Thereafter, thereceiving device 1120 may display an application interface including atleast one icon representing the extracted application.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 11, since the link information corresponds tothe information for the Map application, the receiving device 1120 maydisplay an icon representing the Map application, which is installed inthe receiving device 1120, on the application interface.

At this point, when the receiving device 1120 detects an input signalinputted by the user with respect to the corresponding icon 1123, thereceiving device 1120 may insert the additional information, which isprovided by the application corresponding to the icon 1123, in the textmessage. The additional information corresponds to information relatedto the result of executing a corresponding application by using the wordincluded in the text block 1121.

Therefore, the Map application of the receiving device 1120 may use theauthority information for tracking the position (or location) of thetransmitting device 1110, the authority information being included inthe metadata, so as to be capable of inserting a map, which indicates aspecific place where the transmitting device 1110 is currently located,in the text message.

The location of the transmitting device 1110 at the time when the textmessage is transmitted may be different from the location of thetransmitting device 1110 at the time when the user of the receivingdevice 1120 views the additional information. Therefore, when thelocation of the transmitting device 1110 is changed, the additionalinformation being provided from the transmitting device 1110 withrespect to the text block 1111 (i.e., information on the location thetransmitting device 1110) may be different from the additionalinformation being provided from the receiving device 1120 with respectto the text block 1121 (i.e., information on the current location of thetransmitting device 1110).

As described above, with respect to the same link information, in thedigital device according to the present disclosure, different types ofadditional information may be inserted in the transmitting digitaldevice and the receiving digital device. Most particularly, in thetransmitting device, when the text message includes a word related tothe location, information on the location of the transmitting device orauthority information for tracking the location of the transmittingdevice may be included in the metadata. Respectively, in the receivingdevice, when the text message includes a word related to the location,information on the location of the transmitting device may be includedin the text message as the additional information. However, when themetadata include the authority information for tracking the location ofthe transmitting device, the location information that is being insertedmay correspond to information for tracking the current location of thetransmitting device.

Meanwhile, FIG. 12 illustrates an example of extracting an application,which provides additional information with respect to a text block inaccordance with a corresponding priority level, according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

The digital device 1200 may detect an input signal inputted by the userwith respect to a text block 1210, as shown in (a) of FIG. 12. Thedisplay device 1200 may extract an application, which providesadditional information on the text block 1210, as shown in (b) of FIG.12.

At this point, the digital device 1200 may extract an application inaccordance with a priority level, which is determined based upon atleast one of transmission information and reception information relatedto the corresponding text message, history information of the textmessage, Social Network Service (SNS) usage information according to thetransmission information or the reception information, and so on.Additionally, when providing the additional information by using theextracted application, the digital device 1200 may provide theadditional information based upon at least one of the transmissioninformation and reception information related to the corresponding textmessage, the history information of the text message, the Social NetworkService (SNS) usage information according to the transmissioninformation or the reception information, and so on.

Referring to FIG. 12, the digital device 1200 shall provide additionalinformation associated with a ‘Japanese restaurant’, which is includedin the text message 1210. By referring to the transmission information,the digital device 1200 analyzes ‘Martin’ 1240 from which (or whom) themessage has been transmitted and also analyzes a message history. Then,the digital device 1200 recognizes that an application for providinglocation guidance was most frequently used with respect to thecorresponding message. Thereafter, the digital device 1200 may firstextract a Map application, which searches for a ‘Japanese restaurant’within the surrounding area and provides location information on thesearched ‘Japanese restaurant’.

Additionally, with respect to the additional information that isprovided by using the Map application, the digital device 120 mayprovide the location 1231 of the searched ‘Japanese restaurant’, whichis located within the nearest range from the current location of thedigital device 1200, as the additional information. Herein, however, thedigital device 1200 may also select additional information, whichprovides guidance information on the location 1233 of a specific‘Japanese restaurant’, which the user of the digital device 1200 hadvisited with ‘Martin’. At this point, the location 1233 of the specific‘Japanese restaurant’ may correspond to the location of a particularJapanese restaurant, which is most frequently searched and quoted fromthe SNS of transmitter ‘Martin’ 1240.

Therefore, the digital device 1200 may display an application interface,which includes an icon representing the Map application, and the digitaldevice 1200 may also provide preview information 1230 for the additionalinformation.

Respectively, when the user selects a wanted location by referring tothe preview information 1230, as shown in (c) of FIG. 12, the digitaldevice 1200 may insert the corresponding additional information 1250 inthe text message according to an input signal corresponding to theuser's selection.

Meanwhile, unlike the description presented above, (c) of FIG. 12illustrates an exemplary case when the additional information isinserted in another message (e.g., a message that is currently beingwritten (or composed)), instead of the text message including a textblock. More specifically, the digital device 1200 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may differently set up a messageincluding a text block and a message having additional informationinserted therein with respect to a text block.

Meanwhile, FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary text messaging interface ofa case when an application, which provides additional information withrespect to a text block, is not extracted.

Herein, the digital device 1300 may not be capable of extracting anapplication, which provides additional information with respect to atleast one word included in a text block 1310. This is because anapplication having the word included in the text block 1310 as itsexecution condition (or requirement) may not exist.

At this point, as shown in (a) of FIG. 13, the digital device 1300 maydisplay an application interface 1320 in a minimum area and may indicatethat the extracted application does not exist. However, when the userselects an Enlarge Application Interface menu 1321, as shown in (b) ofFIG. 13, the digital device 1300 may display a list of applications (oran application list), which is basically provided, in an applicationinterface 1330. Thus, the digital device 1300 may provide the user withan environment enabling the user to select a wanted application.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow chart showing the process steps of a methodfor controlling a digital device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 14 illustrates a method for controlling thedigital device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure,when the digital device corresponds to a transmitting devicetransmitting a text message.

First of all, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, the digitaldevice may display a text message through a text messaging interface(S1400).

As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the digital device maydesignate at least one word included in the text message in a text blockform (S1410). Additionally, the digital device may add a graphic effecton the designated text block.

At this point, as described above with reference to FIG. 4, the digitaldevice may detect an input signal inputted by the user with respect tothe at least one word included in the text message. Then, the digitaldevice may designate the at least one word having the input signaldetected therefrom in a text block form.

Alternatively, as described above with reference to FIG. 6, the digitaldevice may extract at least one keyword from the text message. And,then, the digital device may designate the at least one extractedkeyword in at least one block form.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 and FIG. 12, thedigital device may extract at least one application providing additionalinformation associated with the text block (S1420). The additionalinformation may correspond to information related to a result ofexecuting an application (or application execution result) by using atleast one word included in the text block.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 and FIG. 12, thedigital device may display an application interface including at leastone icon representing the extracted application (S1430).

As described above with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, when the digitaldevice detects the input signal to the icon included in the applicationinterface (S1440), the digital device may insert additional information,which is provided by the application corresponding to the icon havingthe input signal detected therefrom, in the text message (S1450).

As described above, the icon being provided by the application interfacemay have an additional function. When the input signal to the icon isdetected, the icon being provided by the application interface mayexecute a function of executing the corresponding application andswitching (or changing) the display screen to an application executionscreen. Moreover, when the display device detects the signal to theicon, the icon being provided by the application interface may alsoperform a function of additionally executing the correspondingapplication via multi-tasking without switching (or changing) thedisplay screen and internally executing the application. Accordingly,the icon being provided by the application interface may perform afunction of acquiring additional information from the internallyexecuted application and inserting the acquired information in the textmessage.

Additionally, as described above with reference to FIG. 7, the digitaldevice may insert the additional information and delete the text block.More specifically, the digital device may replace the text block withthe additional information.

Furthermore, after the digital device has inserted the additionalinformation, or at the same time the digital device inserts theadditional information, the digital device may generate metadata fortransmitting the text message to a receiving device. The metadata mayinclude application information providing additional information on thetext block, additional information being provided by the correspondingapplication, and link information on the additional information.

Meanwhile, FIG. 15 illustrates a flow chart showing the process steps ofa method for controlling a digital device according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 illustrates a method forcontrolling the digital device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, when the digital device corresponds to a receivingdevice receiving a text message.

First of all, as described above with reference to FIG. 11, the digitaldevice may receive a message file including a text message and metadatarelated to the text message from an external device (S1500).

As described above with reference to FIG. 11, the digital device maydesignate at least one word included in the text message in a text blockform (S1510). Herein, the at least one word is related to the linkinformation included in the metadata. The link information may includeat least one of application information for executing an applicationrelated with a text block, execution information of the application (orapplication execution information), and Uniform Resource Locator (URL)information from which the application can be downloaded.

As described above with reference to FIG. 11, the digital device maydisplay a text message through a text messaging interface and may add agraphic effect to the designated text block (S1520).

As described above with reference to FIG. 11, when the display devicedetects an input signal to the text block, the digital device mayextract an application according to the link information and may displayapplication information including at least one icon representing theextracted application.

Additionally, when the digital device detects an input signal to atleast one icon, which is included in the application interface, thedigital device may insert additional information, which is beingprovided by the application corresponding to the icon from which theinput signal is detected, in the text message.

Moreover, by using the link information, the digital device may link thetext block with the additional information associated with the textblock, thereby setting up the text block as a hypertext.

Finally, as described above with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 12, beforeinserting the additional information, the digital device may displaypreview information on the additional information, and, when the digitaldevice detects an input signal to the displayed preview information, thedigital device may insert the additional information to the textmessage.

Furthermore, although the drawings have been distinguished and dividedin order to facilitate the description of the present disclosure, thepresent disclosure may be designed to form a new embodiment by combiningsome of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure.Moreover, whenever required by anyone skilled in the art, the scope ofthe present disclosure includes designing a recording medium readable bya computer, the computer having a program for executing theabove-described embodiments of the present disclosure recorded therein.

The digital device and the method for controlling the same according tothe present disclosure may not be limited only to the above-describedconfiguration and methods according to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Accordingly, variations of the exemplary embodimentsof the present disclosure may be configured by selectively combiningeach exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure fully or in part.

Meanwhile, the method for controlling a digital device according to thepresent disclosure may be realized as a code that can be read by aprocessor provided in the image display device in a recording mediumthat can be read by a processor. The recording medium that can be readby the processor includes all types of recording devices storing datathat can be read by the processor. Examples of the recording media thatcan be read by a processor may include ROMs, RAMs, magnetic tapes,floppy disks, optical data storing devices, and so on. Also, anexemplary recording medium being realized in the form of a carrier wave,such as a transmission via Internet, may also be included. Also, therecording medium that can be read by a processor may be scattered withina computer system, which is connected through a network. And, a codethat can be read by the processor may be stored and executed by using adispersion (or scattering) method.

As described above, the digital device and the method for controllingthe same may have the following advantages. According to the embodimentof the present disclosure, since additional information related to atext message can be inserted in a text messaging interface, the user'sconvenience may be enhanced. More specifically, in order to insert theadditional information to the text message, the user may execute aseparate application and may then directly insert the additionalinformation within the text messaging interface, without having toexecute the text messaging interface once again.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, apart from atext that is personally (or manually) designated by the user, additionalinformation associated with a keyword, which is automatically extractedby the digital device, may also be inserted in the text message, therebyreducing inconvenience of the user. Additionally, according to yetanother embodiment of the present disclosure, by inserting additionalinformation based upon a correlation between a transmitter and areceiver of the corresponding text message, the text messaging interfaceaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure may insertadditional information best-fitting the intentions of the user.

Moreover, according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure,by inserting additional information in a text message that is currentlybeing written (or composed) by the user as well as in analready-received message, the applicability of the present disclosuremay be extended. More specifically, by providing an interface enablingthe user to edit a received message, the present disclosure may providea memo function with respect to the corresponding text message.

Furthermore, according to yet another embodiment of the presentdisclosure, even if the same link information is added to the additionalinformation, which is to be inserted in the text message, the digitaldevice according to the present disclosure may provide a text messaginginterface inserting different additional information to each of atransmitting device and a receiving device.

Finally, according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure,when the digital device according to the present disclosure providesadditional information in accordance with the user's input, theadditional information may vary depending upon the time point at whichthe additional information is provided. For example, when locationinformation is provided as the additional information, the digitaldevice may provide information on a current location of the device at aspecific time point when the user has requested for the additionalinformation.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present disclosurewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, itis intended that the present disclosure covers the modifications andvariations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents. It is also apparent that suchvariations of the present disclosure are not to be understoodindividually or separately from the technical scope or spirit of thepresent disclosure.

Also, a device and a method for controlling the device are bothdescribed in this specification of the present disclosure. Therefore,whenever required, the description of both may be supplementarilyapplied.

What is claimed is:
 1. A digital device providing a text messagingservice, comprising: a display unit configured to display a textmessaging interface; a sensor unit configured to sense a user inputinputted to the digital device and delivering a signal according to asensed result to a processor; a communication unit configured totransmit and receive text messages to and from an external device; andthe processor configured to control the display unit, the sensor unit,and the communication unit, wherein the processor: designates at leastone word included in the text message as a text block, wherein the textmessage is displayed through the text messaging interface, extracts atleast one application providing additional information associated withthe text block, displays an application interface including at least oneicon representing the at least one application, detects a first inputsignal to the at least one icon in the application interface, andinserts additional information to the text message, wherein theadditional information is provided by an application corresponding to anicon from which the first input signal is detected.
 2. The digitaldevice of claim 1, wherein the processor detects a second input signalto at least one word included in the text message and designates the atleast one word, from which the second input signal is detected, as atext block.
 3. The digital device of claim 1, wherein the processorextracts at least one keyword from the text message and designates theat least one keyword as at least one text block.
 4. The digital deviceof claim 1, wherein the processor adds a graphic effect to the textblock.
 5. The digital device of claim 1, wherein the processor extractsthe at least one application according to a priority level, and whereinthe priority level is decided by using at least one of transmissioninformation and reception information related to the text message,history information of the text message, and Social Network Service(SNS) usage information related to the transmission information or thereception information.
 6. The digital device of claim 1, wherein theprocessor displays the application interface in a surrounding area ofthe text message.
 7. The digital device of claim 1, wherein theprocessor displays the text messaging interface overlaid with theapplication interface.
 8. The digital device of claim 7, wherein, when athird input signal is detected, the processor hides the applicationinterface overlaying the text messaging interface, and wherein, when afourth input signal is detected, the processor displays the hiddenapplication interface.
 9. The digital device of claim 1, wherein theadditional information includes information related to an executionresult of an application, wherein the application is executed by usingthe at least one word included in the text block.
 10. The digital deviceof claim 1, wherein, when the additional information is inserted in thetext message, the processor deletes the text block related to theadditional information.
 11. The digital device of claim 10, wherein theprocessor inserts the additional information in a location of the textblock that is to be deleted.
 12. The digital device of claim 1, whereinthe processor generates metadata for transmitting the text message tothe external device, and wherein the metadata include at least one of atleast one word included in the text block, additional informationassociated with the text block, application information providing theadditional information, and link information to the additionalinformation.
 13. The digital device of claim 12, wherein the metadatafurther includes at least one of location information of the digitaldevice and authority information for tracking a location of the digitaldevice.
 14. The digital device of claim 1, wherein, when the first inputsignal is detected, the processor displays preview information of theadditional information, and wherein, when a fifth input signal to thepreview information is detected, the processor inserts the additionalinformation to the text message.
 15. A digital device providing a textmessaging service, comprising: a display unit configured to display atext messaging interface; a sensor unit configured to sense a user inputinputted to the digital device and delivering an input signal accordingto a sensed result to a processor; a communication unit configured totransmit and receive data to and from an external device; and theprocessor configured to control the display unit, the sensor unit, andthe communication unit, wherein the processor: receives a message fileincluding a text message and metadata related to the text message fromthe external device, wherein the metadata include link information forproviding additional information associated with at least one wordincluded in the text message, designates the at least one word as a textblock, wherein the at least one word is related to the link information,displays the text message through the text messaging interface, and addsa graphic effect to the text block.
 16. The digital device of claim 15,wherein the additional information includes information related to anexecution result of an application, wherein the application is executedby using at least one word included in the text block.
 17. The digitaldevice of claim 15, wherein the processor designates the text block as ahypertext by connecting the text block with the link information. 18.The digital device of claim 15, wherein, when a first input signal tothe text block is detected, the processor extracts at least oneapplication according to the link information, and wherein the processordisplays an application interface including at least one iconrepresenting the at least one application.
 19. The digital device ofclaim 18, wherein the processor detects a second input signal to an iconin the application interface and inserts additional information providedby an application to the text message, wherein the applicationcorresponds to the icon from which the second input signal is detected.20. The digital device of claim 19, wherein, when the second inputsignal to the icon is detected, the processor displays previewinformation of the additional information, and wherein, when a thirdinput signal to the preview information is detected, the processorinserts the additional information to the text message.
 21. The digitaldevice of claim 19, wherein the processor inserts additional informationin a location of a text block associated with the additional informationand deletes the text block.
 22. The digital device of claim 19, whereinthe metadata further include at least one of location information of theexternal device transmitting the message file and authority informationfor tracking a location of the external device.
 23. The digital deviceof claim 22, wherein, when a word related to a location is designated asa text block, the processor inserts location information of the externaldevice in the text message by using the metadata, and wherein, when themetadata include authority information for tracking the location of theexternal device, the location information of the external devicecorresponds to information on a currently tracked location of theexternal device.
 24. The digital device of claim 23, wherein theprocessor inserts location information of the external device in alocation of the word designated as the text block and deletes the worddesignated as the text block.
 25. A method for controlling a digitaldevice providing a text messaging service, comprising: displaying a textmessage through a text messaging interface; designating at least oneword included in the text message as a text block, wherein the textmessage is displayed through the text messaging interface; extracting atleast one application providing additional information associated withthe text block; displaying an application interface including at leastone icon representing the at least one application; detecting a firstinput signal to the at least one icon in the application interface; andinserting additional information to the text message, wherein theadditional information is provided by an application corresponding to anicon from which the first input signal is detected.
 26. A method forcontrolling a digital device providing a text messaging service,comprising: receiving a message file including a text message andmetadata related to the text message from an external device, whereinthe metadata include link information for providing additionalinformation associated with at least one word included in the textmessage; designating the at least one word as a text block, wherein theat least one word is related to the link information; and displaying thetext message through the text messaging interface, wherein, in the stepof displaying the text message, a graphic effect is added to the textblock.